1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to plastic lined ponds adapted for storing liquids such as waste water from industrial or municipal operations or fresh water and other liquids to be used in industrial or municipal operations, with particular reference to a method for removing trapped gases such as air under pond liners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Storage ponds have long been used to hold large quantities of liquids such as fresh water or waste water for industrial and municipal operations. Storage ponds of this kind have also been lined with any suitable tough, thin material such as shells made from a synthetic resinous plastic material to avoid loss of a valuable raw material or contamination of ground water as a result of soil drainage from the ponds.
A problem that may occur when ponds are lined with plastic film or sheeting material is the formation of trapped gas or air bubbles under the liners when the ponds are filled with a liquid. Bubbles under pond liners are the result of trapping air under the liners during installation or gas formed by fermentation under the liner during use due to poor soil drainage conditions under the ponds. These trapped gas or air bubbles can cause severe damage to the plastic liners or liner seams to the extent that holes in the liners will virtually nullify use of the liners. The only known successful solution to the gas or air bubbles problem has been to cover the pond liners with gravel or soil. However, this solution is time consuming, costly and has hindered the location of leaks in the liners and subsequent repair of the leaks.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive, fast method of eliminating gas or air bubbles under pond liners both during installation of the liners in ponds and during the service life of the liners. A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of removing gas or air bubbles under pond liners which will leave the liners reasonably unrestricted for location and repair of leaks in the liners during use of the ponds. Other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and claims.